Freelance and Creative |
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Journalism |
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Journalism is a fast paced and competitive field. Writers who exert themselves and have a wide range of skills and abilities and can cover multiple tasks are a great asset to any company. The Professional Writing Major offers training in a wide range of topics and hopes to advance the skills and knowledge of its students. Freelance journalists could find the extra training very helpful when entering the job market. Tasks and Responsibilities: What does a Journalist do? Journalists have a wide range of responsibilities in the work place that consists of more than typing a new story into a computer. Being in one department of a magazine or newspaper can largely change the responsibilities. Certain tasks can include:
Many of these tasks do coincide with one another. For example someone in the research department may edit facts that were researched by the author, to ensure the facts used are correct. Freelance journalists must concentrate on all of these aspects because they are often expected to turn in finished and polished projects. Education: What does a Journalist study? Journalists have many options in the types of degrees they seek. A Bachelor's in Journalism, Professional Writing, English or a specific field, such as history or medicine, is generally required but a Masters degree can give you an extra edge. It is also helpful that your degree came from a school with an accredited Journalism department. Subjects to concentrate on include
Again, it is very helpful to have a large knowledge base, so maybe have more than one area of interest or training is a good idea. A writer for a magazine may want back round information on historical events as well as economic factors that caused and resulted from them. Freelancers would find opportunities to write for both a history and a travel magazine very useful. Job Types: Journalism job types can be broken down into categories of broadcast, print and internet.
Journalists can be responsible for more than one of these jobs at any point throughout a story. Skills and personal qualities: Journalism is not the highest paid profession for anyone to enter into. Writers and producers log long hours to get meet there deadlines. Students interested in Journalism and Freelance Journalism need to realize this before entering into the field. They must be extremely motivated and have a true passion for their work. Creativity and a large general knowledge are important components of a successful journalist. Writers must also learn to deal with rejection and stay persistent. Not every story is going to be on the front cover of "USA Today" or even make it into the issue. The ability to stay updated and motivated is essential in this field. Networking: It's not what you know, but who you know. Getting your name out is one of the most important things any writer can do. It doesn't matter if it is a student who hopes to write novels or a freelancer who writes public relations outlines. Get to know people and let them get to know you. Students interested in Journalism should take full advantage of things like the State News, the MSU Press or the Journalism department. Even if it is just a job in researching, where no writing is involved, every bit of job experience helps. This also helps to open up internships, which lead to a larger network and opens up more possibilities. Don't hesitate; start now. The Business Side: Selling your articles Writers are expected to research, edit and write their own articles and be able to provide references when asked. Basically, a freelancer will cover all aspects of producing a story or article. When finished, the articles are then sold to appropriate magazines or newspapers. According to Michael H. Sedge the typical price is around $375 per 1,000 words. His advice to freelance writers is to approach their writing as any other business would. He encourages writers to know their copy right laws and to use them to sell articles ranging in price from $1.00 per word to even as high as $2.00 per word. Taking this into account, a freelance writers salary is strongly determined by their motivation and ability to sell their articles at the highest possible price. Students interested in Freelance Writing should consider the more technical and business training that is offered in the Professional Writing field. This offers students the chance to be more diversified in their abilities and work in a larger number of fields. Employers today often require, or at least prefer, for employees to be trained in a large number of areas and be able to handle tasks efficiently. Here is a list from a general job ad and the requirements they are asking for:
Page developed by Joel May November 14th, 2005
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